The Night When You Were the Only One There
by LunaSeasMoonChild
Summary: one-shot, pre-S1 "Do I have to stick my finger down your throat, Waldorf? I'll even pull back your hair."


**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN GOSSIP GIRL NOR THE ROMAJI&TRANSLATION OF "Yuragu Kotonai Ai", taken from animelyrics(.)com**

_**The Night When You Were the Only One There**_

Summary:

[one-shot, pre-S1]"Do I have to stick my finger down your throat, Waldorf? I'll even pull back your hair."

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The techno music was blaring through the enclosed atmosphere of the townhouse, and the dancing bodies were only responding to its beat and the sway of intoxication, whether from alcohol or drugs. The individual bodies seemed to be gyrating and moving as one, and Chuck Bass was more than frustrated and tempted to throw off to the side every person impeding his sight and path.

Usually, the notorious playboy loved parties, but never the dancing. He never got up to the dance floor to join; he preferred to sit back and wallow in the attention of countless women and the company of alcohol. But for tonight, his habits were swerved to the side as he moved along the sparse space among the dancing crowd, sight alert and strained in locating a certain brunette friend of his.

He wouldn't have left his spot on the couch, but then, even through the high volume level of the background music, he managed to make out Penelope's comment to her usual company, Kati and Iz, about Blair. A comment she never would have dared to utter even at Her Majesty's back, far from her hearing range.

"Blair has been at the bar all night, chugging down every alcohol drink like some Irish man. I've never seen her drunk and I honestly think I'd be amused if I stick around to watch, but I think her bitchiness would be multiplied. It's hard enough to stand Blair in her normalcy, imagine her bitchiness raised to the power of ten. And by the way, where is Nate..."

Chuck stood up abruptly by then and approached Blair's followers who were hovering near his area. "Is Blair here?"

"Last time we saw her, she was at the bar. _Alone_," Kati said, as if a clue. Chuck then hastily turned, not bothering to thank them.

And now here he was on a quest to find the elusive Queen of Constance who was, apparently, not herself. And not with Chuck's best mate, either.

He neared the bar, and just in time to see Blair's back stumbling away. "Blair!" he shouted out as he forced his way through two drunken dancers to get to her side faster. "Blair!"

The said girl turned around; glass in hand, copper liquid inside, on the rocks, while her other hand gripped the neck of a bottle of scotch. For a moment, much too fast but discernible to his perception, Chuck saw hope (perhaps she thought he was Nate), disappointment, then elation (perhaps from the influence of alcohol).

He finally arrived at her side. "Blair."

She smiled. "Oh, Chuck." She giggled, greeting him by waving the bottle (almost devoid of content, enough to fill a glass) of scotch she held in her other hand. "I'm just going out to the garden." She resumed her interrupted walk to her destination with shaky balance. "It's getting too hot in here. I need some fresh air."

Her knees quivered, and before she could land on the floor, Chuck caught her around the waist to balance her unsteady stance.

Before she wandered off further, Chuck took her by her elbow. "Let's go to the garden."

He led her away, through the glass doors leading to the garden. He spotted a granite bench a few distance away and he made his way there, stirring a giggling Blair to that direction as she zigzagged. When she plopped down on the seat, situated between two stone figures of cherubim, she laughed out loud again as she set the bottle of scotch next to her.

"Chuuuuck," She drawled out, and giggled, lifting her glass. "I tried scotch."

Chuck remained silent as he stood in front of her, arms akimbo as he tried to think fast on how to deal with an intoxicated Blair. He was at a loss; for once, the tables were turned. Blair had always been the one to make sure they (Serena or Chuck or Nate) got home safely when they were too drunk or high to even make sure they got to their respective residences with their heads still attached on their necks.

"Wanna drink?" she giggled again, followed by a weak but playful slap at his hand, warning in her dark eyes as she looked up at him. "Just one sip, though. The rest is mine. You might hog what little is left of this bottle I managed to snatch." She frowned in thought then giggled. "Actually," and her laughter by then was full-blown with all the deviousness of her scheming pride, "I managed to seduce the bartender to give up the bottle to me."

"Alright, Waldorf," he latched on her elbow, forcing her to an unsteady stand on her heels and causing a whine of protest, "We're done with this party, time to ditch this place."

"My drink's not finished yet!" Chuck took the glass from Blair's measly hold and drank it down in one gulp. He also beat Blair from reaching for the bottle on the garden seat and finished what small amount remained.

"Now you are." Chuck threw the bottle on the ground, the grass cushioning the fall from breaking the bottle. The bartender had better not have given her a full bottle of scotch. He hoped the bottle Blair got was already almost diminished when the bartender handed it to her.

She puckered her lips in a pout as she stared at the empty bottle on the grass, disappointed with the alcohol gone.

"Now let's go, I'm taking you home."

"But Nate hasn't even arrived yet!" Blair yanked on Chuck's hold and she succeeded in breaking free, except she leaned backwards too much. But before she could land embarrassingly on her bottom, Chuck managed to hold her steady by gripping her upper arms and winding an arm around her waist.

"I doubt he's going to make it tonight." Chuck tugged at her to get her moving even through her imbalance. But even in her instability, she proved formidable in standing her ground; her unsteady steps led to her heels digging on his toes and her flailing arms had enough strength for a solid resistance. He tried to lift her on his shoulder, but her knees and heels proved to be a threat to his abdomen and lower section. It was an awkward dance: Chuck trying to get a hold of Blair while she was thwarting his attempts. He had never muttered profanities consecutively for so long a time in his life it was a record.

"Goddammit, Waldorf!" He huffed in ire as he pulled her away at arm's length, indignantly conceding. "Fine, we won't leave, but I'm taking you to the bathroom!"

He didn't know if he should be glad or exasperated when this time, she didn't raise physical assault in resisting and let him lead her through the dancing inebriated throng of party people and up the stairs, until Chuck led them to a bathroom, sitting Blair on top of the cover of the toilet bowl, and locked the door behind them for privacy.

"Okay, Waldorf," Chuck started as he lifted Blair to sit on the tiled floor before opening the toilet cover. He knelt next to Blair; she was definitely feeling the lull of drowsiness associated with drunkenness. Her head was lolling from side to side; her eyes were closed and her shoulders sagged. Her earlier spunk seemed to have drained and Chuck, kneeling beside her, had to cradle her to keep her sagging body upright. He had his left arm over her back, while his right hand held her chin. In his close proximity, the scent of her vanilla lotion and Chanel no. 5 perfume wafted through his nose, despite the smell of alcohol. For a moment, it made his head dizzy, but not in a way that left him feeling disgusted, but rather heady, like he had a taken a hit from a joint. He shook the random feeling from his mind, focusing on the task at hand.

"Blair, Blair," he called out, shaking her chin in an effort to rouse the dregs of consciousness slipping past her. "You need to puke all the alcohol out of your system. You can't sleep yet. You have to puke; do you hear me, Blair?"

A whine sounded from the back of her throat. "I don't need to, Basshole." Her head lolled down, her chin touching her chest. "I just want to sleep…"

Chuck groaned. Why did she have to be so stubborn and difficult?

"I can prove to you, I'm not some innocent _girl_, _Chuck_," she drawled lazily, "I can hold my liquor just fine, like you and Serena. No need ta puke it out."

"Just do it, Blair."

"I won't!" She shouted as she sharply turned her head away from his hold on her chin, a defiant struggle, but unable to go against him, not this time, even as she pushed against his chest.

He just held her tighter to him, pressing her right shoulder on the left of his chest. "Waldorf!" he called out harshly as he cupped her left cheek with his right hand, brushing back a few strands of hair that had stuck to her damp face. "Do I have to stick my finger down your throat, Waldorf?" he whispered, his lips touching the shell of her ear as he inhaled her perfume deeply. "I'll even pull back your hair," he then moved his right hand to the right side of her face to tuck back locks that got in the way. Blair stilled, her eyes narrowed, but not closed anymore, his words having pierced through her drunken haziness. The insinuation of those words... sometimes one needed to be cruel to pull back people who were so far out of it.

"What's it going to be, hmm, Waldorf?" If it weren't for the subtext of his words along with his snide tone, one would think he was gentle with her as he sat there supporting her torso from crumpling and delicately brushing back her hair from her face.

Begrudgingly, Blair leaned her arms on the rim of the toilet seat. She took a few deep breaths, feeling the bile rise from the pits of her stomach before she retched, the sound hoarse from her throat, as she gave in to the urge that she suppressed since her head pounded from too many drinks. Chuck held back her hair, running a hand through her back to soothe her, and in the background, Blair could almost hear his low tone of 'that's a good girl', condescending and wretched to Blair's ears like the sound of her vomiting, induced or not.

When Blair's stomach seemed to have emptied, Chuck reached out to flush down the evidence, coughing from the stench of vomit. Blair sagged against him, head resting on his shoulder, just under his chin. He removed her heels before carefully reaching out for a white towel hanging from a metallic hanger nearby and wiped the perspiration from Blair's face. He was thankful for the bidet spray installed and reached over it as well, sending a few sprays of water straight to the towel. The damp area on the fluffy cloth was what he used to wipe Blair's mouth. He then closed the lid of the toilet bowl, but not before getting Blair's arms out of the way. He placed the slightly damp towel on top of the toilet lid before getting on his feet and attempting to lift Blair on her feet by encircling his hands on her petite waist.

"Come on, Waldorf. Cooperate with me here," Chuck grunted as he dealt with her dead weight. He was grateful when Blair attempted to plant her feet on the tiles, even with the feeble strength of her joints. He managed to hoist her over the sink in a stable position, with Blair barely conscious.

He opened the faucet, the hiss of the running water filling the bathroom as he opened the mirror to reveal the hidden products behind it. He reached for toothpaste, smudged a thin line on his forefinger, before placing the tube back to its previous position. He then cupped Blair's chin to hold her face steady, avoiding using his forefinger with the toothpaste. He pressed his fingers at the sides of her cheeks, prompting her to open her mouth slightly, which he stuck his finger to. Chuck shivered, feeling her soft tongue, and raked his finger at her lower front teeth to leave the toothpaste in Blair's mouth.

Blair whined.

"Don't swallow the toothpaste, Waldorf," Chuck then cupped his hand under the stream of water and held it to Blair's mouth. "You have to gargle to get the taste out of your mouth."

Thankfully, there was still some part of Blair able to function rationally, and she did as she should: she sipped the water collected from Chuck's cupped hand, gargling and spitting out the water. Never mind that the front of her black silk dress was getting wet from the dribbles of water down her chin.

Once Chuck was satisfied, he reached out for the discarded towel once more and wiped Blair's mouth on a clean area of the towel.

"How're you holding up, Waldorf?"

A whine and scrunched eyebrows were the response.

"Right."

Chuck texted his driver who had the limo parked just around the corner. "Time to get you home." Chuck settled Blair's unsteady form against his and reached out for her heels with his hand. Then, with the straps of her shoe wear secured in a tangle with his fingers, he unlocked the door first before he lifted her bridal style.

He fixed her form in his arms, not letting her head dangle, but rather letting it rest on his shoulder. He also made sure her arms were tucked in her abdomen rather than wantonly dangling as well. He was afraid he might cause an unnecessary scene (like flaring the intrigue of Gossip Girl), but he found that in the time they spent in the bathroom, the number of people at the party had dwindled, the music was a humdrum, and most were pretty much drunk out of their right minds, let alone pay enough attention to snap a photo of them. He drifted past the few people left who were either swaying unsteadily or dozing in a sitting position.

He had already gotten Blair, sleeping soundly, in the limo and they were already some distance from the party's venue when Chuck cursed, noticing just now that Blair's purse (if she had brought one with her) was missing. He wouldn't be able to get her back to her penthouse, which meant she had to crash at his place.

"Arthur, change of plans," Chuck called out to his driver, "We'll head back to my place." At Arthur's nod, Blair's head, resting on his shoulder, slipped down, landing in his lap. Chuck scrambled to get his jacket off and bundled it to provide a makeshift pillow for Blair. At one point, he wondered if making it a blanket for Blair would be preferable.

He sighed, resting a hand on Blair's upper arm. "Geez, Waldorf..."

Chuck just absentmindedly brushed her soft brown curls until they reached the Palace. Somehow, he got Blair to wear his jacket and he convinced Arthur to help settle her on his back. It was awkward, walking through the lobby giving a wasted girl a piggyback ride, especially if the said girl was one of your closest and most trusted friends as well as your best bud's girlfriend.

When he reached the floor and got into his suite, there was no question in his mind that Blair would occupy the bed, and before he deposited Blair on his bed, he pulled back the covers and tried as gently as he could to place Blair on the bed without seemingly just throwing her over. She was pretty wasted, that much was for sure, but he didn't want to risk disturbing her deep sleep. He decided to leave her with his jacket on, and tucked her inside the bulk of the comforter after securing her in a snug position.

As he watched her sleeping on his bed, he let his mind usher thoughts that could've led to Blair's crawl to drunkenness tonight, in an effort to ward off the darkness of her thoughts.

He cursed Nate and Serena both. Blair probably felt abandoned by her two greatest friends. Even he felt it now, their desertion. For people who were easy to love, it was easy for them to cast out people from their lives. For people who had to bleed for others to even turn a glance at them, for people who had been shunned by people they unconditionally loved... just the notice, a momentary grant of one's attention was a hold they would cling to. That was the line that put Chuck and Blair on one side and Nate and Serena on another.

He knew Blair took the devastation quietly when she learned her best friend had transferred to a boarding school almost like a last-minute, thought-of vacation, like how the blonde's mother would just up and leave for a getaway with her lover and leave two children on their own.

And Nate grieved the sudden departure of Serena, and what remained from that solitary surrender to hidden emotions was guilt. Guilt over betraying Blair, guilt over making Serena run... Unaccustomed to such heavy remorse, he chose to push away, as his conscience would not let him rest easy and pretend.

Perhaps the greatest blow had been her father leaving. The favored parent, the one who loved her. Abandoned family for another man, another life.

Her mother wasn't making things any easier, either.

Chuck sighed, rubbing his face with his hand as he settled to sit on the floor, his back resting on the side of the bed. "What am I going to do with you, Waldorf..." And he didn't even mean it lecherously.

Chuck tilted his head back to let it rest on top of the mattress, his eyes closed. He didn't know how long he was in that position, until he felt fingertips poking his cheek. Turning to her, Chuck met Blair's dark brown orbs through barely open eyes.

"Thanks for being here, Chuck." With a voice barely a whisper, Chuck could only think of how small and sad she sounded, so far off from the domineering queen she portrayed for the world every day.

And suddenly, her eyes welled with tears and sobs followed the wet trails down her face. "I have no one else left."

The hand that had touched his face now moved to hide her tears. He was unprepared for this show of weakness from one he deemed formidable, next to his father.

With gentleness he never knew he possessed, Chuck reached out to grasp her wrist to pry her hand away from her face, her eyes closed and leaking with tears. "I'm here." He threaded his fingers with hers, sealing a promise.

And that was how he fell asleep, holding her hand.

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_motto kimi to sekai o kanjitai yo totemo ooku no namida o nagashite kita yo ne  
onaji toki o ikiru imi ga doko ka ni aru to omou me o sorasazu iyou yo..._

_**//I want to experience the world more with you, seems we're shedding a lot of tears, huh?**_

_**I think there's a meaning somewhere why we're living at the same moment, let's stare at the sky...//**_

-_**Yuragu Koto nai Ai **_(Unshaken Love), sung by Tamura Naomi (GetBackers 1st opening song)

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_**Author's notes**_: Well, I do enjoy the arc of grief Chuck went through in S2 and I must certainly say, I was fairly amused at that particular line of Blair, especially the way Nate stared at her, like he was disturbed at how twisted her lines were. Very LoLz moment, I must say. This was inspired by that one scene. And I so love how they awoke in the limo holding hands in a later ep when they visited Georgina. Aww moment. ("Y") So I incorporated those two moments and voila. This one-shot. XD


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